as in regulating
to make changes to (something) in order to keep a desirable balance, proportion, etc.
He takes insulin to modulate his blood sugar levels. She kept talking during the performance, making no effort to modulate her voice.
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Recent Examples of modulating
The approach has nothing to do with maximizing screentime or superseding her actual director, but modulating her performance within a broader context.
—
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
It’s made with guayusa (a natural source of L-theanine and caffeine) and gotu kola (for modulating GABA).
—Brianna Peters, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2026
Even for women uninterested in modulating their feelings and behavior to fit a societal standard of supportive positivity, perimenopause is presented as a hazard to health and well-being.
—Patricia Bencivenga, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
The approach that works for him involves periodized nutrition, modulating his fat and carbohydrate consumption based on his day-to-day training needs.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 5 Mar. 2026
Joe was modulating it brilliantly and knowing how much of it to use and not to.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Its main tool is its ability to raise and lower interest rates, modulating the pace of economic growth to keep unemployment low and inflation steady.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Besides modulating your emotions, serotonin also acts as a natural appetite suppressant, so a lack thereof can trigger overeating.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 Jan. 2026
The robot autonomously handles uncertainties, such as variations in material positioning and connection points, dynamically adjusting its posture and modulating force during the insertion and removal of flexible wiring harnesses.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2026
It’s made with guayusa (a natural source of L-theanine and caffeine) and gotu kola (for modulating GABA).
—Brianna Peters, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2026
Even for women uninterested in modulating their feelings and behavior to fit a societal standard of supportive positivity, perimenopause is presented as a hazard to health and well-being.
—Patricia Bencivenga, STAT, 26 Mar. 2026
The approach that works for him involves periodized nutrition, modulating his fat and carbohydrate consumption based on his day-to-day training needs.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 5 Mar. 2026
Joe was modulating it brilliantly and knowing how much of it to use and not to.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
Its main tool is its ability to raise and lower interest rates, modulating the pace of economic growth to keep unemployment low and inflation steady.
—Binyamin Appelbaum, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Besides modulating your emotions, serotonin also acts as a natural appetite suppressant, so a lack thereof can trigger overeating.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 15 Jan. 2026
The robot autonomously handles uncertainties, such as variations in material positioning and connection points, dynamically adjusting its posture and modulating force during the insertion and removal of flexible wiring harnesses.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modulating
Verb
-
Makary, a surgical oncologist known for criticizing the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic, served as head of the agency responsible for regulating food, drugs and medical devices for more than a year.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
All this while the federal government’s main tool for regulating medical software, the Food and Drug Administration’s device-approval process, is structurally unfit for regulating autonomous clinical AI.—
Alon Bergman,
STAT,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Minutes before the opening of his latest show, artist Gary Baseman, dressed as a retro diner cook, in a red-orange jumpsuit, white apron and hat, paced around Johnie’s Coffee Shop, moving art frames from one counter to another and adjusting the position of a cartoon cat plush toy.—
Iris Kwok
May 12,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Squatting, her eyes adjusting to the dim light, hoping for groggy chickens, their eyes shut and their beaks tucked into the fluff on their necks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The new commissioner faces the daunting task of improving the existing jail while planning for a world without it.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
It was built for static products like imaging algorithms, not for adaptive systems that keep improving.—
Alon Bergman,
STAT,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
If correcting automated categories feels frustrating, manual budgeting may be a better fit.—
Nick Perry,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
-
Should a blind person be correcting my driving?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modulating. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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